REVIEW: CHARLY BLISS @ ROYALE 9/6

Review by Olivia Valera

Photo Credit: Milan Dileo

Charly Bliss is the perfect melding of millennial pop and dramatic performance art for this past Friday night’s show at Boston’s Royale. Lead singer Eva Henderick’s pulled her short platinum blonde hair into space buns, and her makeup glittered brightly. Bouncing out on stage dressed in a large tulle mini dress in varying shades of green, she stood out even to the back of the room. She looked like Tinkerbell reborn as a futuristic roller derby girl on her way to a vintage gala. Her energy was electric, unpredictable, and all over the stage. She lit up the Royale Boston on September 6, 2024, from high knees to head banging.

Charly Bliss formed in 2011 when siblings Eva and Sam Hendericks began recording music with guitarist Spencer Fox and later bassist Dan Shure. Amidst applying to colleges, the band recorded an EP named “Charly Bliss” before releasing their debut album, “Guppy,” in 2015. The band released “Forever” in mid-August this year, followed by their current tour. Over time, their pop-punk genre shifted as the band struggled to find the sound of their creative vision; however, as the band noted when they took the stage, “Forever” is what Charly Bliss has been trying to sound like from the beginning. Despite its short three weeks since release, the crowd sang along with many of the lyrics, highlighting its evident popularity and instant partiality among fans.

The crowd remained sparse throughout the opening act, Rafaella, a New York City-based singer-songwriter. She warmed up the crowd with her buoyant personality and quirky intros, which shifted from rambling anecdotes to suddenly saying things like “anyways, this song is about produce.”

And then came the main act. Eva Hendericks, dressed like a marshland pixie, framed by two matching mint green guitars and drums, all set before the flashing bubblegum color palette screen flashed stylized typography of Charly Bliss. The band began their romp onstage with a lively choreography and several songs off their new album, including “Calling You Out” and “I Don’t Know Anything.” Eva checked in with the crowd throughout the night, encouraging them to sing along and dance with as much energy as she maintained throughout the show. Nobody felt left out of the party on stage. Rafaella could be spotted enthusiastically dancing around on the upper balcony for most of the set.

The band included old favorites like “Ruby” from their debut album, which still ranks their most famous song, with over four million streams on Spotify alone.

The band struck me as considerably humble, with several comments of gratitude to their fans, the ability to tour, and their love for each other. They were incredibly considerate of the audience– starting and ending on time but still packing in all the energy and excitement of any well-practiced performance artist.

They finished their act with “Back There Now,” a catchy synth track from “Forever,” that got the crowd bouncing along. Amidst heavy applause, the band came out for an encore – asking the audience to sing out every word they could of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.” Her rendition left everyone in the room with smiles on their faces. It was the perfect throwback pop song to end her new-music-release party with. The night was indeed “bliss-ful.”